The Community Development Process II: Working with Community Groups

Abstract

A community development worker can do very little if the community members are not motivated. If they are she can do a great deal. However, bringing about change usually requires the power and legitimacy of an organisation. Thus, community development workers spend a good deal of their time helping members of particular communities to set up and run organisations. Such community organisations often form spontaneously, of course. But they sometimes die quickly when they are led by people with few resources or little relevant experience. It is the aim of the community development worker, operating within a value system which is ultimately to do with promoting social justice, to help those organisations to be more effective. That process is described in this chapter.